An Octi of Her Own
by Aku Blossom
Summary: A short, sweet little story about Blossom getting a special doll of her own and the moments they share.
1. The Doll

"And for Blossom…ah ha! Here it is!" The Professor beamed proudly, pulling a tattered black doll from his suitcase. Blossom smiled politely and took it from him, staring at the strange little toy. It was a black creature of some kind, with a hideous, but somehow cute, green face and big, exaggerated fangs. On its head it had long curved horns, and its eyes had little red flames coming from them.

"Thanks Professor…um, if you don't mind me asking, what is it?" she asked sheepishly, trying to hide her disappointment. Not that she wasn't grateful it's just…the replica samurai sword he'd given Buttercup was so cool. And the arpakasso, a really cute alpaca doll, he'd given Bubbles…well the doll she was given was alright, she guessed.

The Professor chuckled and knelt down beside her, giving the doll a pat on the head, "This actually belonged to your great grandpa," He stroked his chin and smiled, "Oh I still remember the stories he used to tell. It's based on a terrible monster that, according to my grandfather, was defeated by one of our very own ancestors! I think it was called…Aku. How cool is that?" he explained. Blossom smiled and looked down at the doll again.

"Oh, wow, that's neat Professor. Thank you!" Now she felt awful. Sure, Bubbles and Buttercups' gifts seemed nicer, but the Professor had given her a family heirloom.

And she'd been so ungrateful for something that meant so much.

The Professor yawned and left the girls to play while he finished getting settled back in. Buttercup rushed off to the back yard to play with her new sword, while Bubbles plopped down in front of the TV, talking to her arpakasso in Japanese. Blossom glanced down at her doll.

"Aku, huh? Well…you are kind of cute, I guess. In a funny sort of way," She smiled and made her way up the stairs to her room.


	2. The Talk

Blossom sighed and tapped her pencil on her desk again. Normally, homework was fun, something she did to unwind after a busy day of saving the world. Tonight, though, she just couldn't seem to focus. She rested her cheek on her mitt and glanced to her right, where her strange new doll was sitting, watching her diligently. Blossom rolled her eyes and smiled to herself.

"Dolls don't watch people, silly," she said with a little giggle. She turned her eyes back to her homework and the smile slowly faded from her lips. Math was so fun and easy, why couldn't she concentrate on the numbers? It was like…how had Buttercup described it? When she tried to concentrate on the numbers, they started moving around on the page.

Blossom glanced at her Aku doll once more and scrunched her nose, "I wish I had someone to talk to…" she muttered. The Professor was busy in his lab, her sisters were off playing a game together. She'd tried to convince them to work on their homework with her, but…well, that obviously hadn't worked out.

But, there was Aku doll, just sitting and watching, "Watching, huh?" she mused. Bubbles constantly talked to her toys so…"Would that be weird? I guess if you're okay with watching me, you wouldn't mind listening too, would you?" She asked. Blossom giggled and shook her head.

"This is so silly, you aren't real, you can't see me or hear me. I'm being silly," she trailed off and looked down at her homework, "…Am I really boring?" she asked, letting her hands drop into her lap.

"I just want to make sure we all keep up with our responsibilities. Someone has to, right? I mean, maybe that does make me a little bit boring, but I can be fun too! Like yesterday when we played video games! I was all kinds of fun, right?" Blossom looked up at Aku doll, "You were there, it was fun, right? I can be fun too…I'm not boring…"

Blossom picked up Aku doll and gave him a tight hug. He nuzzled perfectly into the crook of her neck and a smile broke out on her face, "Right? You like me, don't you? And homework isn't boring! It's a lot of fun! You can test what you've learned in class, even learn new things, and try to find new ways to solve the problems…yeah! I'm not boring! I just…have a different idea of fun, right, Aku?"

She held him at arms length and smiled. His odd little expression seemed to be him smiling back at her, "That's right! There is nothing wrong with enjoying school! And, you know what? Getting my work done early lets me relax later! So, yeah, I have to wait to play, but then I know my work is done and I can just relax and really have fun!" Blossom giggled and hugged Aku doll.

"Thanks for listening, Aku. I knew you would understand!" She set the little doll down and went back to her homework, a smile on her face and answers flying across her paper.


	3. The Storm

A lash of thunder whip-cracked across the sky, rocking the sleepy neighborhood of Pokey Oaks. It was echoed by a tiny scream, quickly muffled, from beneath the covers of the Powerpuff Girls' bed. Blossom sat up, sweating and staring wide-eyed around her bedroom. Normally a heavy sleeper, the little red-head muffled another scream as yet another boom sounded outside.

The quiet house was assaulted by a torrent of rain and the loud, shrill whistle of wind as the storm outside raged. The sky lit up and Blossom held her breath. She clenched her eyes shut and jumped when, yet again, the thunder made its presence known.

Blossom frowned and pulled her knees up to her chest, "It's okay..." she whispered to herself, "It's just a storm...a really bad storm...really, really bad..." she whimpered and buried her face in her arms. It wasn't something she was proud of, and thankfully her sisters didn't know, but Blossom had never been fond of thunderstorms. In fact, she was honestly afraid of them. It was silly, it's not like anything bad could happen with her powers. But, the heavy, relentless rain, the howling wind, the blinding flashes of light and...

BOOM!

"The thunder" she whimpered, covering her ears. She sniffled and wiped the tears forming in her eyes away. To her left, Buttercup was mumbling to herself and hugging her favorite toy, a stuffed crocodile named Steve. And to her right, Bubbles was buried in a mountain of dolls, snoring and drooling all over Octi, her faithful little companion.

Blossom bit her lip and stared at the sheets. The few times a storm was bad enough to wake her up, she was never able to get back to sleep. Part of her wanted to wake her sisters up. But, she knew they'd never let her live it down if they found out she was afraid of storms. And she worried about going to the Professor...he wasn't the best at keeping secrets. The last thing she needed was for him to blab to someone else's parents. Then the whole class would know.

She looked at her sisters again and sniffled, "I'm being so stupid..." she muttered. The next crack of thunder caught her off guard. She only just managed to slap her mitts over her mouth to hold back screaming.

On the verge of tears, she looked across the room and noticed Aku doll sitting on her desk. She looked down at Buttercup and Steve, then over to Bubbles and Octi. They wouldn't make fun of her...right? Blossom slipped out of bed and hovered over to her desk.

"It's okay, right? If I sleep with you? They won't make fun of me...right?" Blossom picked him up and floated back to bed. After scooting under the covers, she hugged Aku doll close. When a blast of thunder went off, she buried her face in him and hugged him tighter.

She was still scared, but having him there somehow made it feel all better. She smiled and snuggled further under the blankets with him. Even with the storm raging outside, it was only a matter of time until Blossom drifted off to sleep smiling.


	4. The Game

The peaceful land of Wonderville...was under attack!

"Mwahahaha!" laughed the great and powerful Aku, the shapeshifting master of darkness! The peaceful denizens of Wonderville ran in terror, knocking over their blocks, and tripping over each others feet.

"Yes! Run, and be afraid little citizens! For I, the great and powerful Aku, am now taking over!" The denizens cowered in fear, but just as they began to lose hope, a brave voice cried out.

"No! Get back, you evil, icky, stinky monster!" the voice cried. Aku gasped and looked to the sky.

"What voice is that?" he asked. Suddenly, a lone figure descended! The great hero of Wonderville...Wonder Octi! The four-armed octopus wore a right red cape, and monocle. The mighty Aku roared in anger. What a fool to challenge his power! Aku took a powerful swing at Wonder Octi, who dodged with his incredible sea-speed! Wonder Octi attacked Aku with his legendary four-armed slap of doom, but even his mightiest move was piddle against the strength of Aku.

"Bahahaha! You are powerless against me, Wonder Octi! Now feel the might of my LASER BEAMS!" Aku roared and unleashed his powerful rays, obliterating the peaceful city of Wonderville. Wonder Octi gasped and stared in horror.

"No! How could you monster? I will defeat you!" Wonder Octi lunged at Aku, but the beast proved far too powerful. Wonder Octi was thrown aside by Aku's powerful hands. Wonder Octi gathered his strength for another four-armed slap of doom, but Aku merely laughed and batted him aside.

"Fool! I cannot be beaten by mortal creatures such as you!" Aku laughed. Suddenly, the two heard a whistle and saw a mysterious figure on the horizon.

"Not so fast evil monster, you have yet to do battle with me!" Aku and Wonder Octi gasped! The new figure jumped down to join them, wielding a powerful, magic sword.

"No!" cried Aku, "Samurai Steve! I thought I'd destroyed you!" The wandering crocodile, Samurai Steve, laughed and brandished his deadly blade.

"Not even you can stop my journey, Aku! Now prepare to be defeated! Come Wonder Octi!" Wonder Octi, his strength renewed, jumped up!

"Right! Let's save Wonderville!" The fight was a deadly one. Aku threw fireballs and heat rays, but Samurai Steve and Wonder Octi were too fast. And with every slash of Samurai Steve's super sacred samurai sword, Aku began to wear down.

Finally, after a day of constant battle, the great Aku fell, defeated.

"Yay! We won!" Buttercup and Bubbles cheered, holding their dolls in the air triumphantly. Blossom sighed and giggled, giving Aku a comforting hug.

"It's alright, Aku. I don't know why we always have to be the bad guy..." she sighed and watched her sisters do their victory dance. She giggled and gave him another hug, lowering her voice and grinning, "We'll get them next time! Just wait and see!" Blossom giggled and went to join her sisters celebrating.


	5. The Bath

"Just an urchin livin' in the street, I'm a hard case that's tough to beat!" Blossom sang, pausing to dip her head beneath the water. She came up with a big sigh and flipped her wet mane back, "I'm your charity case so buy me somethin' to eat, I'll pay you at another time..." she reached over the side of the tub and picked up her new favorite toy, her stuffed Aku doll.

"Take it to the end of the line!" Careful to avoid getting him too wet, she held him up and sang her heart out, "Take me down to the paradise city, where the grass is green and the girls are pretty!" She giggled and sat Aku doll back down. Brushing a few soggy strands out of her face, she crossed her arms and leaned on the side of the tub.

"You've heard that song before, right? It's by Guns N Roses! It's one of my favorites...just don't tell anyone, okay?" She sighed and rolled her eyes, "Everyone thinks I'm so stuck up and snobby...they'd probably make fun of me if they knew I liked that kind of music," Blossom giggled and flopped back into the bath, splashing a little water over the edge of the tub.

She gasped and sat up quickly, "Oops! Got a little carried away.." Blossom yawned and grabbed the shampoo. Washing her hair was always a lengthy ordeal, but it was worth it.

While she lathered her hair, she continued to talk to Aku, "I like taking a bath, did you?" She hummed quietly, "I just really don't like being dirty...and, I don't know about you, but I'm really proud of my hair. It takes a lot of effort, but I think it's pretty, don't you?" Blossom sighed and fell back, rinsing her hair out.

Blossom went back to singing while she finished her bath. She'd already been yelled at by Buttercup one time. She drained the water and dried off. Wrapped up and warm in her pink fuzzy bath towel, she pulled Aku into her arms and dried him off too.

"Sorry for getting you wet, I just really like taking a bath!" She giggled and gave him a tight hug, burying her face in his soft, warm body.


	6. The Bullies

The morning and early day had been exhausting. The Powerpuff Girls had been called to save the day and, as a result, Blossom had missed the two most important parts of the day: science and nap time.

Blossom sat on the playground, up against the building, hugging Aku tight and struggling to keep her eyes open. Recess was dragging painfully long, and, while it was a beautiful day, having missed nap time, Blossom couldn't really appreciate more than the heat.

She yawned and spoke softly to Aku, "I'm so sleepy, but I don't want to sleep through recess. I know, it's weird, huh?" She yawned again and rubbed her eyes. While Bubbles and Buttercup could generally shrug off that peaceful hour of sleep, Blossom had grown to look forward to it.

"Stupid boys…" she whispered. Not the boys on the playground, of course. Sure, Mitch Mitchelson could be a jerk, and Harry Pitt could use a bath more often than not, they were still her friends. The other boys though, the ones who had robbed her of her treasured nap, they were just monsters.

Blossom held Aku out and hesitated. She glanced around and, making sure she was alone, just let herself rant, "I really, really hate bullies, Aku," she began, "Why do some people enjoy hurting others so much? I just don't get it…I can handle super villains. Look at Princess! Most of the time, she's just our classmate. And Mojo, we invited him to Thanksgiving dinner last year. Even Him…sometimes we just see him at Malph's and he'll usually wave and it's…normal,"

"But…those guys…the Rowdyruff Boys are just bullies! They aren't supervillains! All they do is try to hurt us! Try to make fun of us! They just…they always…they just…" Blossom groaned and trailed off, pulling Aku into a crushing hug. Her eyes stung as she buried her face in his warm body.

Blossom sniffled, "I just hate them so much. They're big dummies, but they're strong. They're dangerous. And they just want to hurt us! They don't want to take over the town. They don't want money. They just want to make us hurt," She wiped her eyes and swallowed the lump in her throat, "And I always have to pretend like it doesn't bother me. I always have to just ignore it, and just…come up with some way to save the day. But it does hurt. I don't like being called dumb. I don't like having my h-hair pulled. I don't like being spit on," She rubbed her eyes again and took a deep breath.

"You wouldn't be a bully, would you? You'd…you were evil, but you weren't a bully, right? You were too sophisticated for that, weren't you?" Blossom pulled away a bit to look at Aku's eyes.

She bit her lip and hugged him tight again. "No…you couldn't be like that. I just know it…" she kissed his head, "Thanks for listening to me…again. I love you, Aku," She wiped her eyes again and got up to go inside as the bell rang and recess ended.


	7. The Accident

It seemed like a normal, average playtime for the students at Pokey Oaks Kindergarten. As had become customary, Blossom was lounging around with Bubbles, discussing a different direction for the adventures of Wonder Octi and Aku. Bubbles rolled her eyes as Blossom went into, yet another, rant.

"And I know he looks scary, but Aku has a lot to offer to the world! He can shoot laser beams, and he's really strong, and tall! He can make himself taller to, I'm just saying it's in the best interest of Wonderville if Aku is given a chance to reform himself and become one of the good guys," she explained, beaming at the end.

Bubbles looked over at Octi and tapped her lip, as if in deep thought. Blossom held her breath, and held Aku tight, hoping against hope that maybe, this time, Bubbles would consider her proposal. Bubbles and Octi traded another look.

Bubbles thrust Octi forward, pointing an accusatory tentacle at Aku, "Ah ha! Don't think for a second we aren't on to your games, Aku! You just want us to let you in, so we can help you destroy Samurai Steve!" she giggled; Blossom groaned in frustration.

"That's not it at all! Aku is just misunderstood and wants to help people too! Why does he always have to be the bad guy?" she asked, growing even more frustrated.

Bubbles shrugged, "But he looks so mean,"

Blossom glared and held Aku up, "I mean, yeah, he's evil, but that doesn't mean he has to always be the bad guy. Sometimes, he can be the good guy too!"

"I dunno, we'll have to have a conference with the villagers, and then we'll have to talk to the council of elders...and we should probably get Steve's input on this," Bubbles continued to ramble on a list of imaginary checks and balances they'd need to cross if they were to even try to consider Aku a good guy.

Blossom sighed and shrugged, "I'm sorry Aku, I tried...we'll just have to try harder to convince everyone that you can be g-HEY GIVE THAT BACK!" Blossom screamed, suddenly and viciously. It was loud enough that everyone around them stopped what they were doing to look. Buttercup had even paused, having snatched Aku out of Blossom's hands.

"Hey, chill out, I just want to borrow Aku for a minute," she explained. Blossom grabbed Aku and ripped him away from Buttercup. Her two sisters had never seen the pink-eyed puff look so angry before.

"You can't just take him away from me! And since you didn't even ask, you can't have him!" she yelled. Buttercup, who had previously been only confused, narrowed her eyes in anger. She grabbed Aku's arm and tried to pull him away from Blossom.

Gritting her teeth, she whispered back, "Don't be such a baby! Just let me see him!" trying to not draw more attention to them. Blossom tugged back, her cheeks turning pink.

"I am not being a baby, and you cannot have Aku! Let him go!" she cried. Buttercup pulled back, digging her feet into the carpet.

"It's just for a minute!"

"I said no!"

"Let me see him!"

"NO!"

"BLOSSOM! BUTTERCUP!" Ms. Keane's shout came too late, though, as a loud rip broke through the sisters' shouting. Buttercup fell back on her butt and looked down at the little arm she was holding. She gasped and dropped it, looking up at her sister.

Blossom's eyes were wide, her mouth hung open. In her arms, she cradled the now one-armed Aku doll and stared at the amputated limb in silence. Her chest began to heave; her eyes narrowed. She grit her teeth and took a menacing step toward Buttercup. Her entire face was beet red and, suddenly, there were tears in her eyes.

"B-B..." she stammered out. She knelt down and picked up the arm, staring at it while grinding her teeth harder and harder. Blossom clenched her eyes shut and her chest tightened. And then...she went limp and began to cry harder than anyone had ever seen before.

Buttercup's face turned bright red. She looked around, hearing whispers and seeing looks of disapproval. She tried to stammer out an apology, but seeing Blossom cry, so hard and uncontrollably, she couldn't make out the words.

"YOU RUINED HIM!" She finally screamed, thrusting an angry mitt in Buttercup's direction, "I TOLD YOU, YOU COULDN'T HAVE HIM AND NOW HE'S...HE'S...HE'S RUINED!" she collapsed back into tears, cradling the old, abused doll.

"Children, go back to your desks...now!" Everyone shuffled away; everyone, except Buttercup, who sat and stared at Blossom.

"I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU!" she managed to stammer out between her cries. Ms. Keane sat down beside her and pulled her into a comforting hug.

"Buttercup, go to your seat," It took the little superheroine a moment to realize her teacher was speaking to her. Buttercup bit her lip and tried to apologize again. Another slew of "I hate you" from Blossom stopped her. Unable to look her classmates in the eye, Buttercup shuffled off to her seat, while Ms. Keane struggled to console the heartbroken Powerpuff leader.


	8. The Miracle

Dragging her feet as she trudged her way up the stairs, Blossom kept her eyes as low as her spirits. Shortly after getting home from school, the girls had been called to save the day from yet another rampaging monster. Blossom had been force to leave her poor, mutilated Aku alone for two hours. Thinking about it caused tears to well up in her eyes and her cheeks to turn pink. She stopped at the top of the stairs and clenched her fists, shaking as anger once more welled up inside of her.

Buttercup had spent the rest of the day trying to apologize, but Blossom wouldn't hear any of it. She was never sorry for anything she did. She just hated getting in trouble. Blossom rubbed her eyes angrily and shuffled to the bedroom door. Even if she really did seem genuinely sorry this time, Blossom wasn't sure when she would, if she would, forgive her sister.

Blossom sighed and opened the door. The early evening sunlight coming in through the three little windows splashed over her study desk. Blossom blinked in confusion. She rubbed her eyes and looked again. A smile spread across her face, until she was laughing. She shot across the room and scooped Aku doll into her arms, his torn limb once more attached to his body.

Giggling and laughing and on the verge of tears of joy, she shot around the room doing loops and spins, until finally diving into her bed, cuddling her doll close and safe.

"You're all better! Oh my gosh! You're all better, Aku!" she squealed. Blossom gasped and shot out of the room, down the stairs, and into the kitchen, nearly tackling her father, who was just putting the finishing touches on dinner.

"THANK YOU PROFESSOR!" she cheered, throwing her arms around him and lifting him a few inches off the ground.

"Woah! Easy there, Blossom!" The Professor chuckled, returning the hug with his free hand, "What's this all about?"

Blossom flew up to his eye level, holding the fresh and repaired Aku doll, grinning from ear to ear.

"You fixed Aku! Thank you so much! I was…I am…I just…thank you!" She squealed, giving the Professor a kiss on the nose. The Professor chuckled and watched Blossom shoot out of the room, still in the highest spirits he could remember. He returned to the stove and paused, scratching his chin.

"That's funny, I don't remember fixing her doll…oh well! As long as she's happy," he shrugged and returned to his cooking, humming a little tune.


End file.
